Over the 4th of July holiday, Mark's mom, sister and our niece and nephew came to visit us in Oklahoma City. We all had a great time! Clark loves playing with big kids and Aubrey and Gunnar played so well with him.
On the first night we went to watch the fireworks in Bricktown. The OKC Philharmonic plays patriotic music and then there are fireworks at the end. The fireworks did not start until around 10 pm! Clark stayed up for the beginning of the fireworks, but quickly fell asleep in Mark's arms.
On the 4th our neighborhood had a 4th of July party which included a parade that we all participated in. The kids also got the opportunity to run in a huge shower of water provided by the OKC Fire Department. Clark fell asleep before the parade began, but he made sure to hold his flag tight.
Oklahoma is one of five states that allows noodling. What is noodling? Noodling is fishing for catfish using only your bare hands. That's right! No pole! Noodlers hunt for catfish in murky water and holes. Once they have found the fish, they will stick out their hand until the fish bites and then they will bring the fish to the surface. While this sounds like a nightmare to me, this is a way of life for others. Twelve years ago, an Oklahoman (Brad Beasley) filmed a documentary on the sport. He decided that in order to bring legitimacy to the sport, there needed to be a tournament. The Okie Noodling Tournament is held annually in Pauls Valley and handfisherman/women from across the state fish in their home waters and then bring their fish for a weigh in. Mark and I decided this was a tournament that we couldn't miss! My mom came in and babysat Clark. Mark, our neighbor and I journeyed down to Pauls Valley and we were not disappointed. We saw weigh ins, witnessed noodling demonstrations, ate at Bob's Pig Shop, watched an almost fight and stood next to the Okie Noodling Queen. The biggest fish that was caught was 60 lbs!!! Amazing! 
